Last month, Google announced their Titan Security Key - a FIDO based security key that allows you to easily perform 2-step verification with compatible devices, browsers, and sites. While previously only available to Google Cloud users, Google has now made the key available to U.S. customers for $50 through the Google Play Store.

When you purchase Google's Titan Security Key, you will get both a USB and a bluetooth key. The USB security key can be plugged directly into a USB port and provides automatic 2-step verification when using Android, Chromebooks, or computers running Chrome. The bluetooth key allows a wider range of compatibility with devices that do not have a USB port, such as an iPhone.

Similar to YubiKeys, which are one of the most popular security keys, as long as a service supports FIDO, the Titan Security Key will automatically perform the 2-step verification phase and log you in. This allows you to no longer need 2SV authenticator apps or to enter authentication codes when logging into a site that has 2-step verification enabled.

While convenience is always nice, using keys like this also protect you from phishing attacks where attackers try to perform account takeovers. If your accounts are protected with 2SV and a registered security key, attackers will find it much harder to take over your account without access to the registered key.

"Security keys can help to secure your Google Account as well as other consumer and enterprise services by helping to defend against phishing and other social engineering attacks that attempt to steal user credentials," Christiaan Brand, Product Manager at Google Cloud, explains in a blog post. "Google considers security keys based on the FIDO standards to be the strongest, most phishing-resistant method of 2-step verification (2SV)--also referred to as two-factor authentication (2FA) or multi-factor authentication (MFA)--on the market today."

Google believes so strongly in these keys that they have also added the ability for administrators to enforce their usage on the Google Cloud platform.

"Because we believe in the effectiveness of security keys to protect user accounts, we recommend and enable Google Cloud customers to enforce the use of security keys in their organizations," Brand further stated. "Consumers can also protect their Google Accounts using security keys for 2SV or by signing up for the Advanced Protection Program, Google's strongest security for personal accounts."

Whats in the box and setting up the key

When you purchase the Titan Security Key Bundle from the Google Play Store, you get a USB Security Key, Bluetooth Security Key, USB-C to USB-A Adapter, and USB-C to USB-A connecting cable. This allows you to connect the keys to wide array of devices either through the USB adapter or via bluetooth.

Titan Security Keys

To use a key, an owner would login to their Google account and configure it to be used in the account's 2-Step Verification page. Once at the 2-step verification page, a user can scroll down and select "Add a security key". This will open a dialog box, as shown below, that walks you through the setup process.

Setup Security Key in Google Account

Once the key is configured, you can it to authenticate your login during 2-step verification or 2-factor authentication.

At the time of this writing, the Titan Security Key Bundle has already sold out, but Google allow you to get on a waiting list for when new inventory becomes available.

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